Whatevs

I never did write the blog post about my new blog name (Remember, it used to be "The Libby's Three"?) back when I originally changed the name, but I think it speaks for itself. I thought about using "Mad Libs," but didn't know if people would get that I was going for the fill-in-the-blank game, not being a generally angry person.

So I chose "Ad Libs" (Thanks, John!) . . . like when you ad lib, you're just flying by the seat of your pants. My blog tends to be about whatever I feel like, whether it be home decor, parenting, recipes, rants, whatever. And the fact that it's a play on words with my last name? Bonus!

This post is definitely in that vein. Pretty much about nothing and everything, a throwback to stream of consciousness assignments in college.

I feel like the whole month of January has been a month of catch up. Catching up on the house after the holidays, catching up with the kids after having a million projects to do, catching up with John after being far too busy . . . and it's been good, but I'm ready to move on and get back into the "do-ing" groove again. Nothing extreme, but the color purple is going to be exiting my living room in the near future!

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Jude is going to be six months in a few days, and that lil' boy is developing some personality . . . getting so fun! He has a couple games he likes to play . . . talk about a good natured kid, what a turnaround from his first few months.

Game #1 is the Cough Game and Game #2 is the Click-Click Game. Both involve lots of super gummy smiles, which are so stinkin' adorable.

The Cough Game usually takes place when Jude is sitting in his bouncy seat in the kitchen and I am busy cooking or doing the dishes. Jude's bouncy seat is old school and doesn't run on batteries, so he kicks his right leg to get it bouncing. When he gets tired of bouncing, he starts doing an occasional little dry cough. Then the cough gets louder and more frequent, and when I finally look over he gives me a big grin and does a final cough or two. I cough back, he grins, and kick-bouncing resumes.

The Click-Click Game is one that Jude starts when he decides he is done nursing, but still wants to hang out with Mama. He stops nursing, gives me a giant toothless grin, and clicks his tongue. His goal seems to be to get me to click back, so I do, and we go back and forth clicking until Jude decides he is bored and we are done. The cutest part is that he keeps up his grinning the whole time.

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The name "Terrible Twos" really does describe Sophia's behavior these days, but then there are little moments when my Snuggler makes an appearance. When we went to get Jude out of bed this morning, she asked if we could "cuddle him up." So the Snuggler, Cuddler, and Mama all piled into my bed for some quality cuddle time. Sophia LOVES her brother, and is so good with him. I am grateful that he is never on the receiving end of any "Terrible-ness."

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We are getting ready to leave for Sophia's latest allergy appointment in a little while. Ever since she had a really horrible allergic reaction on Labor Day, we have been operating under the assumption that she is allergic to blueberries. The only other possibility was Cheerios, and she for sure isn't allergic to them!

First step in testing for a blueberry allergy: skin prick test. That came back negative, so the next step was to have her blood tested, which was also negative. Final step today, the food challenge. Sophia can't have anything to eat after 10 a.m., and then at our 1 p.m. appointment they will feed her blueberries . . . first just a tiny bit, then more, and more, and more as long as she doesn't react. If she does react, then it's an official allergy. Seems like a lot of rigamarole to me!

I pretty much think that the blueberries were the culprit for her reaction, but am also convinced that it was some external factor, and not the actual blueberries themselves. Confused? I mean maybe some residual pesticide was left after they were washed, or perhaps a couple were moldy and we didn't pick thru them carefully enough (Confession: they were a little old, and non-organic . . .).

Whatever the reason, off we go to see the allergist today, one quart (yes, a quart!!!) of blueberries in hand. I am hoping that we will leave knowing that Sophia is NOT allergic to blueberries, because selfishly, I have been missing blueberry pancakes! Sophia loves them too, so I can't make them in front of her, thus have only eaten them once since September. Not that I mind sacrificing for my girl!

(More) Adventures in Pottytraining

I have been taking a break from pottytraining for the last few weeks. In this battle of wills, Sophia dominates, and I don't like to play games I have no chance at winning. But now we are back at it . . . with a new strategy.

Sophia is all about being a baby (a little regression, anyone?!), and alternately, all about playing with her baby doll. So, I thought last night, how about a little long-term motivation? M&Ms as an immediate reward as always, and a new baby doll when pottytraining is complete.

I told Sophia, and she immediately got the concept and told John about it when he got home. She and I are going to go to Walmart and pick out a new baby doll once ALL pee-pee AND poo-poo are on the potty. Today she got to wear underwear again, and as of right now (2:33 p.m.) she is still accident free! Of course, she has yet to go #2 on the potty, and that will tell if she is really going for it or not.

Diaper went back on (with underwear over it, of course) at naptime after one last trip to the potty. An hour later, I was still hearing loud noises up there, so I thought she might be poopy and checked on her.

No poop. Yay!

But not quite cause for celebration, as there was a naked Sophia and a wet spot on her pack'n'play sheet. Here's Sophia's explanation:

"I called my mama and said 'I need to go potty' and then I went pee and my diaper is dry." And she was right, she had a dry diaper.

Changed the sheet, let her go potty again and have a treat, then put her back down for her nap.

I think that girl might be a little too smart for this mama. I said she needed to have a dry diaper . . . she had a dry diaper. And so we continue on with Adventures in Pottytraining!

Laurel's Black Bean Burgers

We eat a lot of beans in the Libby household . . . probably two or three times a week when I actually think ahead and plan out our meals. When I don't, it usually turns into a pancake night. The other morning I made pancakes for breakfast and Sophia gave me a confused look and asked if it was dinner time. Perhaps we have breakfast for dinner too often . . .

But I digress. Yesterday I was on the ball and got dinner made while the kids slept at naptime. Great feeling to have it out of the way early! And to have such a yummy dinner too . . . homemade black bean burgers! I've been wanting to make them for a while, and decided to run with it and make up a recipe. Here it is!

Laurel's Black Bean Burgers

3 cans black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, drained
2 eggs
3/4 cup quick oats
1 medium sized jalapeno pepper, diced (I use the seeds)

Mash drained beans with potato masher. Mix in the other ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Form into burgers (I measure out 1/2 cup for each burger) and cook on a griddle. Makes 10-12 burgers, lots for the freezer!

I went on the bland side with these in the hopes that Sophia might eat them if slathered with cheese. Nope. Next time I'll add in some cumin and sauteed onions. I individually wrap them in saran wrap and put them in a bag in the freezer, easy to grab to heat for a meal on the go or crumble up on top of a salad (how I ate it last night!).

Enjoy!

Lil' Roller

Jude has been rolling over front-to-back since Thanksgiving day, as I found out when he rolled off the couch. Back-to-front took a little longer, and then a little longer again to get on video! But I have finally done it, so here is the first video starring Jude. Apologies for the quality, I didn't realize how dark it was in our living room, sorry! Be sure to turn the volume up so you can hear the very special soundtrack . . .

Happy New Year?

Funny, when I am not working, the whole "New Year" thing doesn't kick in very quickly. I have yet to write 2012 (except for just now!), and seem to judge time passing more by kiddo's milestones than dates on a calendar. (Especially since my calendar still says November 2011.)

But it is a new year, and I have been contemplating what is to come in the next 12 months. Not for this post, but soon, I'm sure!

This post isn't going to be anything very grand . . . it's a poop post. I know, it has been a long time since I wrote one, and you all thought maybe I had gotten over that sort of thing.

Nope.

As long as I have kids aged 2 and under, I'm pretty sure the poop posts are going to keep a'comin'.

Sophia may not be too swift with getting herself dressed yet, but boy, does she know how to strip down. Best time to get naked? In bed just after filling her diaper.

John and I first experienced the joy that is naked-poopy-hollaring-bloody-murder-toddler-in-bed on Christmas Eve. We had a true Christmas miracle that day . . . that is, Sophia managed to get naked without anointing all of her surroundings with feces. Yay!

Naptime goes something like this: We put Sophia in her big girl bed for nap and warn her that if she gets up she will have to sleep in the Pack'n'Play. Approximately 35 seconds later, she climbs out of bed to say "I'm up! Can I come downstairs now?" Like, "Hey, I slept already, can you believe it?!!!" And she is so stinkin' cute, you just want to say yes, but instead we carry her back to her room and settle her into the PNP.

An hour later on Christmas eve she was STILL awake and talking . . . something must be going on, time to check on her. And we walked in to find Naked Girl and Poopy Diaper. But like I said, it was a Christmas miracle, and everything was still clean.

We have had one more "Christmas miracle" in the week since Christmas.

And today was the day I have been dreading.

It was the anti-miracle day.

The day of poop.

Uncontained.

It was a "pick her up under my arm and carry her to the bathroom naked bummed to go directly into the tub" day.

A "pull everything out of the pack'n'play and place it directly into a boiling hot washing machine" kind of day.

I don't think any more detail is necessary . . .

Suffice it to say that Sophia is going to be wearing backward zipper footie pajamas for naptime from now on, not just bedtime.

And it is funny, even in the moment . . . if I step outside myself for just a minute and watch this ridiculous Sophia-and-Friends show, I do have to laugh.

Whatever highfalutin' thoughts I have about what this year is going to be (or not be) when it comes down to it, I hope there are a lot of laughs in the year ahead. Because whatever "poop" comes, it's a lot easier to deal with while laughing. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

Laugh on, friends!